Speed Typing Instructions & Overview

The speed typing section is designed to teach you to type to a regular rhythm at your maximum attainable and controlled speed. Typing this way allows you to scan ahead while you are typing, so that you can see what is coming ahead of time.

These exercises make heavy use of repetition and predictable patterns, so that you will be able to read things in "chunks", and type at a quicker pace that you could for the more intricate exercises in the lessons. This will help you build confidence and reinforce your kinesthetic "muscle memory" of the keyboard.

Oh yeah, and it's kinda fun!

The Words per Minute metronome provides you with a target rhythm and typing speed. The speed can be adjusted with the horizontal slider. Play it for a few beats at a slower speed (20 WPM at first??) to get the rhythm in your mind, then start the exercise and try to type the entire exercise at that rhythm. When you can do that well, repeat the exercise at a faster speed, until you feel like you're typing at your maximum controlled speed.

Once in awhile you can leave the WPM Metronome running while you type! But most of the time you should play it for just a few beats, stop it and keep the rhythm in your mind as you type.

Try to notice if it's hard for you to type certain keys in rhythm. Try to figure out why, and fix it for the next time you do the exercise!

Technical Help

If you are accessing this course on the desktop or a laptop, Google Chrome (currently the most popular browser in the world) is the recommended browser for this site, and switching to it will likely solve any issues you may be experiencing. It is a free download, easy to install, and available for all platforms.

Javascript is required for the typing functionality, so please ensure it is turned on in your browser preferences.

Some third-party extensions for web browsers, such as ad blockers, might interefere with the typing functionality. If you are using such an extension, turn it off temporarily and see if that is the cause. If so, it should be possible to whitelist this site so that the extension is turned off for this site only.

This course is not designed to be used with a soft keyboard on a tablet, although it has been successfully tested to work with iOS devices (iPad and iPhone). If you are on Android or a Windows Mobile device it is hit or miss, however it should work absolutely fine with an external keyboard. It is highly recommended to learn touch typing on a physical keyboard for the tactile feedback, and bluetooth keyboards can be obtained very inexpensively these days (i.e. as little as $10). This is a VERY worthwhile investment to learn touch typing, a skill which will last you a lifetime.

If you're still having problems, you can still access the old, Flash-based version of the course here.